EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL
Spring 2015 | Volume XLI No. 1
EDS NOW
EDS NOW is a publication of Episcopal Divinity
School and is published twice a year for friends and
alumni/ae of Episcopal Divinity School, Philadelphia
Divinity School, and Episcopal Theological School.
EP ISCOPAL DIVINI T Y SCHOOL
Address correspondence to:
Editor, EDS Now
Episcopal Divinity School
99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Editor: Justin Aier
Magazine Design: Tamara Gurman
Director of Communications and Marketing:
Brendan Hughes
Cover Photo: Rachel Wildman ’15 prepares
the table at the Eucharist celebrating the
40th anniversary of women’s ordination to the
priesthood, October 2014. Photo by Ken Kotch.
INTERIM PRESIDENT AND DEAN
The Very Rev. Francis Fornaro ’96
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Very Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski ’78, Chair
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
New York, NY
Christopher Holding, Vice Chair
Goodwin Procter, Boston, MA
The Rev. Winnie S. Varghese, Secretary
St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY
Dennis Stark, Treasurer
Pawtucket, RI
The Rev. Clayton D. Crawley
The Church Pension Group, New York, NY
The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher PhD ’89
Sitka, AK
The Rev. Dr. Robert L. Griffin ’06
Metropolitan Community Churches
Fort Lauderdale, FL
The Rev. Hall Kirkham ’08
St. Michael’s Church, Milton, MA
Patricia Mathis ’05
West Palm Beach, FL
Edward Nilsson
Nilsson+Siden Associates/Architects & Planners
Salem, MA
The Rev. Warren R. Radtke ’64
Chelsea, MA
The Rev. Dr. Robert E. Steele ’68
College Park, MD
CONTENTS
3 BRATTLE STREET DIARY
4 ON CAMPUS
8 DANIELS FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT REFLECTS ON HIS MINISTRY
10 THE THEOLOGY OF HONG KONG’S OCCUPY CENTRAL
30 CLASS NOTES
40 FACULTY UPDATES
42 FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
GENERAL CONVENTION THIS YEAR
F E AT U R E S
14 BEYOND THE BARRIER
What the 40th Anniversary of Women’s Ordination Means Today
18 EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL
A Pioneering Voice in Progressive Theological Education
28 THEOLOGY WITHOUT WORDS
Deaf People, God, and the Church
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PAGE 2
BRATTLE STREET DIARY
Dr. Angela Bauer-Levesque
Academic Dean and Harvey H. Guthrie, Jr. Professor
of Bible, Culture, and Interpretation
The spring term is in full swing as I write this. As many
of you know, our beloved EDS has gone through a period
of upheaval during the past several months. In mid-
October a focused visit by a team from the Association
of Theological Schools (ATS), our accrediting agency,
marked the beginning of a liminal time, a time-space
of in-between-ness. The week before Thanksgiving,
representatives of the Board of Trustees held a listening
on the bus.” In addition to the Jonathan Daniels Lecture,
5, 2015, President and Dean the Very Rev. Katherine
Jonathan Daniels by hosting a Lifelong Learning program
session with students, faculty, and staff. On January
Hancock Ragsdale announced that she will not renew her
contract. ATS requires the school to formulate and then
implement a plan of shared governance that will guard
from future conflict of such dimensions.
The Interim President and Dean Search Committee,
with representation from EDS constituencies of students,
faculty, staff, administration, and alumni/ae joined five
trustees, chaired by the Rev. Winnie Varghese. The
search committee met via video conference, telephone
conferences, and in simulcast modes for a month
(despite challenges to travel by snow storms and already
full schedules). On March 23, the Board of Trustees
announced the appointment of the Rev. Francis Fornaro
as our Interim President and Dean. Many of you know
Frank, who is an EDS alumnus, class of 1996. I am
excited to welcome Frank to Wright Hall, as we all work
EDS will observe the 50th anniversary of the death of
that will bring participants on a pilgrimage to Alabama
from August 12 to 16, 2015. The pilgrimage will include
stops in Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, before
culminating in the 50th anniversary march in Hayneville.
Welcoming prospective students to campus has been
one of the joyful tasks for all of us here at 99 Brattle.
With the 20 new scholarships for entering master’s degree
students in either TL or DL options, the student loan
forgiveness program, and EDS grants, we will do what
it takes to make theological education at EDS affordable.
Please help us in the recruitment effort by talking with your
friends and colleagues, including those directly involved
in ordination processes. Recruitment takes all of us doing
our part. You can find information about scholarships and
applying to EDS at eds.edu/admissions.
Liminal time is a deeply spiritual time. From
together as EDS recruits, repairs, and rebuilds.
tohuwabohu: creation; from chaos: transformation. This
Learning (DL) seniors are getting ready to graduate in
transition. As we complete the 2014–15 academic year
Meanwhile, both Traditional (TL) and Distributive
May. Looking toward May events on campus, I am
delighted to invite all of you to attend Alumni/ae Days,
which this year instead of the usual Kellogg Lectures
at that time will include the Jonathan Daniels Lecture,
featuring Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of
NETWORK, known to many of you as one of “the nuns
I hope will become the collaborative work during this
and look forward to the arrival of the DL students on
campus in June, I wish you a happy Eastertide and hope
to see you on campus soon!
Angela Bauer-Levesque, PhD
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PAGE 3
ON CAMPUS
REFLECTIONS ON FORMATION
The following speech was delivered by EDS student Pamela
day in the past—that EDS is gone forever. And it’s not
celebration on October 24, 2014 .
thing changes except the Divine Creator of it all. That’s
“Pan” Conrad ’19 during the school’s 40th Anniversary Gala
May I ask if there’s anyone here who has not seen the
film When Harry Met Sally? Yes? Okay, file that thought
away for a few moments. When I came here in June, I
arrived on Pentecost. It felt like providential timing to
me, so I went over to worship with the brothers at the
monastery. It was a wonderful experience, and the most
memorable part for me was when Brother Ian, who was
preaching that morning, said, “When
all bad news; there’s some good news in there, too. Every-
what makes us alive. We exist in the domain of time, but
God exists outside of that domain—the one in which all
creation abides. And so we change continuously, because
that’s the nature of everything that is in relationship—it
changes everything: in physics and in God. And because
of the encounter with Miriam on the chapel steps, I’m
changed forever, and because of my relationships with
you, our beloved faculty, and all of my classmates, I am
someone different than the per-
you invite the Spirit in, there’s no tell-
son who arrived the night before
ing where you’ll end up, and there’s no
Pentecost. That is the meaning of
turning back.” Upon hearing this, it re-
formation: to become who we are
ally struck a chord with which I could
in the Body of Christ in commu-
harmonize, and I made a decision right
nity. My name is now in that book,
then and there to try to let go of ex-
along with many of yours, and for
pectations for who I am in the Body of
the rest of my life, I will be linked
Christ and let the outcome of my semi-
to EDS. I think about who I will be
nary experience just unfold. So that is
how I started the two-week intensive
summer session.
A couple of days later we had our matriculation ser-
vice. It was very moving to me, and when I signed that
book, I thought of all the names that precede mine in
the book, and I hoped that when I become the legacy of
EDS, I can be worthy of the company of some of those
names, many of whom are yours. Then the ceremony was
over, and we followed the recessional out the chapel door.
On the top step, stood the now retired dean of student
life, Miriam Gelfer. She greeted each one of us as though
we were her most treasured friend and when it was my
turn, I looked into her eyes, and I could swear I saw Jesus
looking back at me. And I thought, “I want what she’s
having.”
There won’t be another day like that one, ever again.
And EDS will never be what it was that day or any other
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PAGE 4
and who EDS will be as we grow
in community and change each other.
My time at EDS will be over in a flash, time seems
to move so fast. And I pray for one thing more than any
other thing. When I meet the students who will sign that
book after me, or greet my teachers either on the web-
casts or whenever I can get to campus... or in the future,
when I am sitting at one of these tables for the 50th Anniversary Gala... I want whoever looks into my eyes to
think... (I think you know where I am going with this),
“I want what she’s having.” Amen.
Pan Conrad is a Distributive Learning student at EDS
and an aspirant in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
In addition, she is an astrobiologist and mineralogist with
the Planetary Environments Laboratory at the NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. She is
deputy principal investigator and investigation scientist
for the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite,
which is presently exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part
of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.
BEING BRIDGES
A SERMON BY THE REV. DR. ALISON CHEEK ’90
The following is the text of the sermon by the Rev. Dr. Alison
Cheek ’90 from the Community Eucharist at St. John’s Memorial Chapel on Thursday, October 2, 2014. The Eucharist
celebrated the 40th anniversary of women’s ordination to the
priesthood and was attended by several members of the Philadelphia Eleven, and presided by the Most Rev. Katharine
Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. The
sermon was delivered by the Rev. Merrill Bittner (pictured
right), a Philadelphia Eleven member, for Cheek, who was
unable to attend the service in person. In the name of our Sophia-God, our refuge and our
strength. Amen.
Dear friends at EDS, I am so grateful to Merrill Bittner,
one of the bravest of my Philadelphia Eleven sisters, for
being willing to be my voice here this morning. I am with
you in spirit. My flesh is weak, but the spirit is strong.
And I am very grateful for those at EDS who have
made it possible for me to share a few random thoughts
with you this morning. Thank you one and all.
Once upon a time when I was a young woman liv-
ing in Canberra, Australia, I had a very beloved aunt
who developed cancer. She lived a thousand miles away
from me, but I threw myself into praying for her every
day. We were Methodists at that time, but I found that
the early morning service at the Anglican Church and
its mid-week Eucharistic service were powerful places in
which to pray for my aunt. And I gradually grew into the
liturgy as a source of sustenance for myself. I also valued
my Methodist heritage, and its worship.
My husband, Bruce, had a five-year Fellowship at the
Australian National University. His tenure was drawing to a close and I knew we would be moving. In those
days only a few Anglican churches invited those in good
standing in other denominations to come to the communion rail. I was perfectly happy with my dual church prac-
tice, but what about
the future? So I went
to the rector of the
Anglican Church and
said, “I would like to
get
confirmed
stay a Methodist.”
and
The rector smiled
and said, “I’ll speak to
the bishop. He looks
upon people like you
as bridge people in
this ecumenical age.” And so I was confirmed as a bridge!
Strangely enough, the image of a bridge has stayed
with me all these years. I was most aware of it 40 years
ago as I tried with all my persuasive powers to explain to
bishops why women were appropriate persons to represent before God the people of God.
It has been a long conversation!
Now, all of us are bridges—and each with a particular
calling. In this complex, turbulent world, many different
kinds of bridges are imperative.
We can rejoice today for the good bridges which have
been built between lived experience and the structure of
our church.
Alla Bozarth built a bridge for us between our traditional story of the flight from Egypt, and the walking
into the unknown of 15 controversially ordained women
in 1974 and 1975. Her poem “Passover Remembered,”
which you heard this morning, we have recalled at many
anniversaries.
In our gladness about good bridges built, we must at
the same time be concerned for the many bridges still to
be crossed.
For some time now, I’ve been thinking about the lan-
guage barrier which keeps so many people disheartened
Continued on pg. 27
EDSNOW
PAGE 5
ON CAMPUS
Lydia Bucklin ’15
Field Education Unit: The Well, a hybrid community for young adults.
What did you do for your Field Education unit?
When I first began Field Education I was working full time as the missioner for
children and youth in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. My ministry required weekend commitments and limited choices I had for a “typical” Field Ed in a parish.
I met with a group of young adults who had grown up in diocesan youth ministry,
but who were no longer attending church. I wanted to know why there seemed to be a disconnect between the
needs of young adults and what the church was offering. I heard from them that they wanted to remain connected
to one another and that distance did not necessarily need to be a barrier.
I decided to use my field placement as an opportunity to create an intentional community for young adults
called The Well. The Well is a hybrid community that includes a Facebook page, regular gatherings through Adobe
Connect video conferencing, and regional in-person gatherings. Currently, there are more than 50 members in this
community throughout Iowa and beyond. We celebrated Christmas with dinner at church, Passover at the bishop’s
house, had a week-long summer retreat, went boating and had Eucharist at a park around a picnic table, and
ultimately together have formed a spiritual community that holds one another in prayer and celebrates the joys and
challenges of life together.
FIELD ED PROFILES
Suzanne Culhane ’15
Field Education Unit: Christ Church Cambridge,Cambridge, MA
What knowledge and skills did you gain from your experience?
Perhaps the most significant point of growth has been in the area of ministerial
identity. My program at Christ Church is helping me to grow into the role of public
minister and to begin to assume that personal perspective. I have found that even
small pieces such as greeting parishioners at the door and processing with the clergy
are truly helpful in taking up this identity. The feeling of being a part of a ministry
team and to relate to colleagues and parishioners in this way is itself a rich learning experience.
This Field Education experience has only furthered my sense of call to the priesthood—my desire to be
a part of the sacramental life of the church grows stronger each day. In particular, my call to parish ministry
has also been affirmed—I believe I am called to be in relationship with a community for some time, helping them to grow in the knowledge and love of God.
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PAGE 6
Christopher Montella ’15
Field Education Unit: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Studio
City, CA
How did Field Ed develop your call to ministry?
What I found different about this experience was that this was the first context
where I was regarded as a clergy person. Everyone knew I was a seminarian and
still “being formed” but they interacted with me in the same way they would inter-
act with their priest. This was manifested in the things they shared with me, the questions they asked, and
the way they listened to my responses.
The experience helped open my eyes to a need for healing and reconciliation for everyone—even people
who look like they have it “together” the most. It helped me clarify that the most important thing I can
do—whether or not I am ever ordained—is help people know that wherever they come from, or whatever
they have going on, they are welcome at the table and worthy of the love of God, no exceptions, full stop.
Field Education at Episcopal Divinity School—with over 40 accredited
and affiliated sites in Eastern Massachusetts and beyond—provides students
with a variety of challenging contexts within which to explore vocational
identity, professional understanding and competence, and a systems view of
ministerial leadership.
To learn more visit eds.edu/fieldeducation
Susan Butterworth ’16
Field Education Unit: St. Michael’s Church, Marblehead, MA
What was your favorite part of the Field Ed experience?
The warmth, the love for tradition and scripture, the openness to new ideas,
the simple love, which I experienced with older parishioners, the eight-oclockers, and the faithful at the Wednesday morning Eucharist and Bible
study, was beautiful. I have never felt more supported in my vocation than with the older people
at St. Michael’s.
Another favorite part was the opportunity to chant the collects at Evensong on the night of the
passing of the town’s interfaith covenant. I was very nervous because so many clergy were present and
I had never chanted in public before. I mustered all the resources of my semester in [EDS professor]
Suzanne Ehly’s Voice and Leadership class and prayed from my heart.
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PAGE 7
JONATHAN DANIELS FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
REFLECTS ON HIS WORK AND MINISTRY
By Sam Humphrey, Staff Writer
From practicing law to ministry to advocating for immi-
grants and refugees, Rev. Craig Mousin’s career has taken
experts to guide their de-
Jonathan Daniels Fellowship to establish the Midwest
who directed Travellers &
many turns. When Mousin (pictured right) received the
Immigrant Rights Center, he was able to combine all
three talents to work for justice in the immigration system.
While practicing law in the early 1980s, his brother
Thomas gave him books on liberation theology, which
Immigrants Aid (TIA),
which did legal work for
refugees and immigrants.
Mousin
developed
a
relationship with Mohn,
autobiography of Will Campbell, a Baptist minister in-
had a few staff attorneys, but there were too many refu-
volved in the civil rights movement.
“Campbell had been active in the civil rights move-
ment at the time, and he realized that even though he
came at the civil rights movement from a faith perspec-
tive, he would have to try to change the laws and government,” Mousin explained. Reading Campbell’s story
inspired him to pursue a master of divinity degree at
Chicago Theological School.
At the same time, his church was exploring the pos-
sibility of welcoming Salvadoran refugees into sanctuary.
As Mousin talked to the refugees he met about the crises
in Latin America, he grew interested in their stories and
their struggle to navigate America’s complex immigration system.
While in seminary, Mousin explored what God meant
by saying “treat the stranger as the native,” which sparked
his interest in immigrant advocacy.
“My Bible class on the Hebrew scriptures was taught by
André LaCocque, one of the most inspirational teachers
in my life. As I heard him open up the … understanding of
who the stranger is in the biblical understanding, that co-
incided with this thinking about how citizens of the U.S.
responded to the crises of refugees at the border,” he said.
PAGE 8
cision, like Rev. Sid Mohn,
spurred his interest in the subject and the prospect of
working in the ministry. Mousin was also reading the
EDSNOW
His church brought in
who told him that TIA
gees for them to keep up with. The two brainstormed
ways to better address their needs, eventually coming up
with an idea for a program to take on individual cases.
When Mousin saw the announcement for the Jonathan
Daniels Fellowship from Episcopal Divinity School, he
applied, intending to use TIA as the place to start building what would become the Midwest Immigrant Rights
Center (MIRC).
Mousin got the $1500 grant from the Fellowship and
began forming MIRC in the summer of 1984.
“The Fellowship gave me three months of summer to
work full time exploring what religious resources were
available, and if we were to develop this program, what
it would look like,” he said. The grant also proved there
were institutions who shared his vision, and recognized
that legal aid to immigrants and refugees was an unmet
justice need.
“I’m very thankful that the Fellowship helped me not
just to be a seminarian, but to be engaged in the struggle,” he said.
Mousin became director of MIRC part time in Au-
gust 1984 while attending seminary, at Rev. Mohn’s re-
quest. He later led the organization full time until 1990.
It took a full year to get resources ready and to put the
company those affected and to find ways to work for
training for its attorneys in the fall of 1985, and began
Mousin is currently the University Ombudsman
program together. The organization had its first formal
taking cases the next year.
“It was wonderful to get people with no knowledge
of immigration law, who wanted to start winning cases.
We didn’t win lots of cases at first, but we appealed
each one we lost. People started getting their lives
turned around; they were able to build new lives in the
Midwest,” Mousin said of the immigrants and refugees
he helped. He attributes their success to the many probono attorneys, volunteers, and interpreters who joined
the common good.
at DePaul University, where he is also on the adjunct
faculty of the College of Law and College of Arts
and Sciences.
MIRC later became the National Immigrant Justice Project.
THE JONATHAN DANIELS FELLOWSHIP
and helped MIRC.
Mousin sees parallels between the mission of MIRC
and Jonathan Daniels’s work, too.
“Through our work to help undocumented people be
part of the system, they can be empowered to be advo-
cates for themselves, which Daniels was doing in Alabama. Through his presence, he was helping African-
Americans to be full members of society, allowing them
to engage and work for the common good,” Mousin said.
As far as his advice for students looking to apply for
the Fellowship, Mousin noted that issues like poverty
and racism have not gone away, and there are still many
issues that need to be addressed.
“We still need to find a way to act the gospel, as Jona-
than Daniels did,” he said. “The Fellowship allows us to
get out of our safe world and accompany those who are
The Jonathan Daniels Fellowship is awarded annu-
that the racism Jonathan Daniels struggled against con-
seminarians seeking to strengthen their theological
affected by the system. It encourages us to understand
tinues today, and it permits us to accompany those deprived by constraints of laws, racism, and poverty.”
He said the Fellowship allows recipients to not just
talk about these issues, but to figure out how to ac-
ally to provide financial assistance to one or more
education through participation in a social movement concerned with important human needs.
Learn more at eds.edu/DanielsFellowship.
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PAGE 9
Rose Wu, Nathan Road in Mogkok. The background
is a picture of Jesus. The words are from Matthew 5:5,
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
THE THEOLOGY OF HONG KONG’S OCCUPY CENTRAL
Rose Wu, who received her Doctor of Ministry de-
of the three initiators of the movement—Benny Tai Yiu-
and LGBTQ movements in Hong Kong for decades.
especially attracted by Benny Tai’s strategy of using an act
An adjunct faculty at the Divinity School of Chung Chi
College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wu
has also been active in the city’s Occupy Central with
Love and Peace (OCLP) movement (for more on this,
see “From Occupy Central to Umbrella Movement” on
ting, Chan Kin-man, and the Rev. Chu Yiu-ming. I am
of civil disobedience to put pressure on the government if
its proposal of universal suffrage proves to be an offer of
“fake democracy.” I believe that, in the course of history,
no group of people has ever achieved their freedom with-
out resistance and sacrifice.
page 12). She talked to EDS Now about her involvement
role of the church in the Occupy movement.
obedience, give myself up to the authorities, and file no
in OCLP, how theology informs her activism, and the
On participating in the Occupy Central with Love and
I have signed the covenant of the Occupy Central
movement stating that I will carry out acts of civil disdefense in any trial. I have offered talks on “Resistance
Peace movement
and Spirituality” and the “Non-violence Principles of
Love and Peace movement is rooted in the fact that Hong
several walking and sitting meditation activities in Mong-
My decision to participate in the Occupy Central with
Kong has been my home ever since I was born.
EDSNOW
I was moved by the sincerity and the sacrificial spirit
gree from EDS in 2000, is a theologian and activist,
and has been involved in the pro-democracy, women’s,
PAGE 10
Civil Disobedience.” I have helped to design and organize
kok and Admiralty in Hong Kong for the protesters, and
have joined a documentary team to interview individual
the church’s actions mounted, the Rev. Tin-yau Yuen, the
formed into a publication.
the chairperson of the Hong Kong Christian Council,
activism
protesters to tell their stories that will hopefully be trans-
On the connection between academics, ministry, and
To me, theology is contextual and incarnational. A living
theology has to be rooted in communities and the lives of
people here and now. Christians are called to step out like
Jesus, who exposed himself and his work to the public and
who stood against structures of injustice and exploitation.
My theology is also communal. It begins with our
communal lament as a Hong Kong community yearning
for justice and democracy, mutuality and healing. It is the
expression of grief, anger, and resistance over all kinds of
evil existing in our present political and socio-economic
structures.
My activism is a form of social ministry that is will-
ing to reach out to our neighbors, that is prophetic and
experience-based. In order for the church to do the work
of Jesus Christ, it must take itself outside of the institution
itself. It is the responsibility of every church to diligently
president of the Methodist Church in Hong Kong and
published an open letter explaining the church’s position.
“The gospel we believe in is a gospel which redeems
people from evil and sin, not only saving us from personal
sin, but also freeing us from the suppression and binding
of evil and sin caused by others, society, and the constitution,” the letter read. “It’s impossible to be politically neu-
tral, as who can have no political view? . . . As Christians,
we take sides according to biblical teaching and church
tradition rather than simply seeing things from the social
perspective.”
I must admit, however, that these prophetic witnesses
only represent a minority voice within the institutional
churches in Hong Kong. For example, the Archbishop
of the Hong Kong Anglican Church, the Most Rev. Paul
Kwong, during a sermon in July 6, 2014, said, “Jesus was
gentle and humbled when He was condemned before Pi-
late, silent like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Those
who come out to protest have had no peace within nor do
search out areas of human need and to do their best to fill
they have the wisdom to think straight.”
On the roles that churches and faith leaders have played in
As I look back, EDS has shown me that theology is not
that need.
Occupy Central
The Occupy movement is headed by several self-identified
Christians, including Benny Tai and the Rev. Chu Yiu-
ming. Another young prominent leader is Joshua Wong,
a student activist who is the convener of Scholarism and
who has achieved fame for leading several student demonstrations in Hong Kong before helping organize the
recent pro-democracy protests. Wong admitted that his
activism is primarily about protecting Hong Kong’s democratic process, and he has rooted his advocacy in a distinctly Christian theology.
Moreover, when the police fired tear gas canisters at
protesters in late September of 2014, nearby Wan Chai
Methodist Church opened its doors as a shelter, offer-
ing its facilities for the demonstrators to receive first aid,
store supplies, and distribute food. As media coverage of
On EDS and the shaping of activism
merely a subject to be taught or learned but rather is a
constant challenge about our ethical stance on any controversial issues in life.
In addition, I have also learned from the EDS com-
munity that the role of the church is to be a persistent
dissenting voice in society so as to try to live honestly and
to ask what we think are important values in this human
community. Through this process of being a prophet, of
standing firm on our Christian principles and upholding
our Christian values, of empowering the marginalized,
of being a shepherd for the weak, we seek to renew the
church, to make it relevant to the lives of the people of
Hong Kong, to energize the spirituality of the people, and
to offer hope to the community.
* This article was abridged from the full, web version; read
more at eds.edu/news/rose-wu.
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PAGE 11
FROM OCCUPY CENTRAL
TO UMBRELLA MOVEMENT
By Rose Wu
In March 2013, Occupy Central with Love and Peace
(OCLP)—a pro-democracy alliance led by Benny Tai
Yiu-ting, associate professor of law at the University of
Hong Kong; Chan Kin-man, sociology professor at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong; and the Rev. Chu
Yiu-ming—set off to pressure the government of the
People’s Republic of China to implement an electoral
system for Hong Kong’s chief executive election in 2017
that satisfied “international standards in relation to universal suffrage.”
In June 2014, OCLP initiated a civil referendum to
let the people of Hong Kong choose how the election
for chief executive should be conducted. Nearly 800,000
people voted for a proposal of civil nomination that
would give citizens the ability to nominate chief executive candidates. This proposal was rejected by the government in Beijing.
OCLP subsequently announced the commencement
of Occupy Central on September 28, 2014, in the midst
of a heated weeklong class boycott organized by the
Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) and Scholarism, a student activisit group.
The student strikes quickly expanded and developed
into a wave of demonstrations by others in the commu-
nity who were not only for civil nomination and a more
democratic electoral proposal for the 2017 elections, but
who were also against the excessive use of force by the
police when they used pepper spray and tear gas on the
protesters on September 28.
The subsequent widespread civil disobedience campaign and occupy movement on such an unprecedented
scale were most likely far beyond the initial intentions
Tents in the Admiralty; the small umbrellas were made by protesters.
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PAGE 12
Umbrellas hang in the protest area, Admiralty.
of the OCLP organizers. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong
police received widespread condemnation and criticism
for the aggressive methods they used to disperse the various groups of demonstrators, who by now were loosely
referred to as the Umbrella Movement.
Differing from previous movement mobilizations, the
Umbrella Movement is neither planned nor led by any
leader; it is a non-centralized occupy movement that
has spread to several districts of Hong Kong. Moreover,
the movement is the result of creative and flexible col-
laboration among constituents. The protesters show an
exceptionally strong autonomy in their struggle. Even
the name Umbrella Movement—given due to the use
of umbrellas by the protesters as self-defense from the
police’s use of pepper spray—highlights the creative
tactics being employed.
The Lennon Wall, Admiralty.
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PAGE 13
BEYOND THE BARRIER
WHAT THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’S ORDINATION MEANS TODAY
By Rebecca Grossfield
On July 26, 2014, a celebration honoring the first women
sponse to that July 23, 1974, message, Rev. Cheek wrote,
at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, PA. The
selves as whole persons. This, it seems to me, goes to the
ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church took place
group of 11 women famously forced the issue of women’s
ordination on a tumultuous and hot summer day in 1974.
“The Philadelphia ordinations turned out to be a
movement for justice for women within the Episcopal
ity School (EDS), was keynote speaker for the anniver-
Rev. Heyward said the group of women found much
Church,” Rev. Carter Heyward told EDS Now.
sary celebrations. The feminist historian and theologian
to be encouraged about, including drawing strength
she witnessed EDS stand in the face of adversity, estab-
people in the church did indeed want women priests,”
called EDS “home” for over 35 years. During that time,
lishing itself as a leading seminary committed to inclusion in the church.
The Revs. Merrill Bittner, Alison Cheek, Alla Bozarth,
Emily C. Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne R. Hiatt,
from one another. “It was very obvious that many, many
she said. “We were also encouraged by a number of bish-
ops, priests, lay people, and hundreds and thousands of
people in the larger church.”
But O’Dell noted, “The level of rage that erupted
Marie Moorefield, Jeanette Piccard, Betty Bone Schiess,
around women’s ordination also raised the question of
came known as the “Philadelphia Eleven.” Bishops Cor-
sional lives to eliminating racism, protesting the Vietnam
Katrina Welles Swanson, and Nancy Hatch Wittig berigan, DeWitt, and Welles presided over the ordination
before a congregation of nearly 2,000 worshippers.
Soon after the 1974 ordinations, EDS moved to in-
vite Revs. Hiatt and Heyward to join the school’s facul-
ty. Both women recently shared their experiences with
EDS Now.
“Irregular” Ordinations & the Pursuit of Justice: Women
as Priests
Forty years after women’s ordination, it’s hard to imag-
ine the trepidation leading up to this pivotal moment.
Darlene O’Dell (2014) captured the story of these brave
women in incredible detail in The Story of the Philadelphia
Eleven.
Bishop John M. Allin, the 23rd presiding bishop of
the Episcopal Church, sent a telegram to Rev. Cheek
warning against the pursuit of women’s ordination. In re-
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heart of the Gospel” (O’Dell, 2014).
Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Mary Wolfe Profes-
sor Emerita of Historical Theology at Episcopal Divin-
PAGE 14
“Women are striving to define themselves, name them-
why many who had dedicated their personal and profesWar, and alleviating poverty, not only found it difficult to
take a strong stand for a woman’s right to be ordained to
the priesthood, but adamantly opposed such a position.”
By 1976, however, the General Convention approved
women’s ordination—marking the culmination of a long
and difficult journey towards priesthood. By 1977, women began to be ordained “regularly.”
Rev. Heyward said the group benefited from the fact
that equal justice was a “front burner issue of the times.”
People like feminist organizer Rev. Suzanne Hiatt—
“who became the women’s ordination leader both spiritually and literally,” according to Heyward—leveraged
the cultural moment of the 1960s and 70s. If ordina-
tion had not happened when it did, Heyward couldn’t
say just how long it might have been before this door
opened to women.
Ordinands at the altar, Church of the Advocate, July
29, 1974 (Photo Credit: The Burke Library Archives
at Union Theological Seminary, New York).
For Rev. Emily Hewitt, a graduate of Cornell Univer-
ness to take it.”
and a civil rights activist who went on to serve as chief
open-minded seminary of the mid-1970s. Immediately
sity, Harvard Law School, Union Theological Seminary,
judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, the
issue was simple. “I evaluated this situation through the
lens of justice,” she said. “And there was no reason that I
could discern why women should not be priests.”
A Spiritual & Intellectual Home at EDS
Just like those trailblazers for women’s ordination, leaders at EDS embraced the “lens of justice” even when
that decision was a difficult one. Expanding the faculty,
school leadership, and establishing a feminist liberation
theology program created space to explore these compli-
cated issues. “By bringing women on board, we had the
opportunity for a deeper reflection on liberation within
the church,” Dr. Thompsett said. “There was no clear di-
rection, but it was the right path and EDS had a willing-
Rev. Hewitt said EDS became known as the most
after the 1974 ordination, EDS began seeking oppor-
tunities to bring women priests on board. “EDS made a
commitment to get women on the faculty at that time,”
she said. “And—as a result—they ended up with a very
strong feminist faculty.”
In 1975, those professors included Revs. Hiatt and
Heyward, who took comfort in joining the faculty together. “EDS hired us both on a half salary and gave us
an apartment together,” Rev. Heyward recalled. “We became the most beloved of colleagues.”
“We didn’t always agree, but we certainly had im-
mense love and loyalty for each other,” Rev. Heyward
said. She found EDS to be very welcoming, though
she admits the first few years had their moments of
challenge. Rev. Heyward served as the Chandler Rob-
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PAGE 15
Left to Right: Women listening to Dr. Chas Wilkie’s sermon at the Church of the Advocate,
Philadelphia during the July 29, 1974, ordination
(Photo Credit: The Burke Library Archives at Union Theological Seminary, New York).
Carter Heyward with Students at Episcopal Divinity School, 1990
(Photo Credit: Episcopal Divinity School Archives).
Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Mary Wolfe Professor Emerita of Historical Theology at Episcopal
Divinity School, May 2013.
bins Professor of Theology at EDS until she retired
Opportunities for Reflection
in North Carolina.
“basic hierarchal and patriarchal shape of the church in
in 2006. These days, she runs a therapeutic horse farm
In one instance, Rev. Heyward encountered a woman
who told her that the fight for ordination was too politi-
cal when women ought to be more spiritual. “I tried to
be compassionate and caring,” she said. “But I made it
very clear that I completely and totally disagreed with
this perception.” For Rev. Heyward, being “political”
To that end, her experience at EDS was an exciting time
to enrich, expand, and deepen her work. “It was like
working in a laboratory with people who really shared
these same questions.”
“Forty years later, much has changed for the better.
There are now thousands of women priests and dozens
Rev. Hiatt retired from EDS in 1998. Upon her death
around the world,” Heyward wrote in the foreword to
in 2002, EDS established the Suzanne Hiatt Chair in
Feminist Pastoral Theology.
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terms of its governance and its theology and its liturgy.”
simply meant understanding how power was being used
in the Episcopal Church.
PAGE 16
Rev. Heyward said she has always been interested in the
of women bishops throughout the United States and
O’Dell’s book. Nevertheless, she warns against complacency and encourages movement towards radical
social change.
When EDS opened the doors to women priests,
“The current challenge for the church, and its Execu-
the future of the school—and the church. Dr. Thomp-
terns,” Dr. Thompsett said.
professors, deans, and presidents, the decision changed
sett told EDS Now that women are the majority of the
Episcopal Church today, yet only represent a minority of
bishops. “We need to see those numbers reflected in our
leadership,” she said.
tive Council, is how to move beyond these familiar pat-
Rev. Heyward agrees. “The revolution is never won,”
she said. “As long as we have breath in our bodies and
passion in our hearts, there is work to do out there.”
Peter Beebe, Emily Hewitt, Betty Bone Schiess, Nancy Wittig, Merrill
Bittner, and Carter Heyward at a discussion during the Dewey-Heyward
Lectures at Episcopal Divinity School, October 2014.
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PAGE 17
EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL: A PIONEERING VOICE IN
PROGRESSIVE THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION
By the Rev. Dr. Matthew P. Cadwell
Episcopal Divinity School came into being on June 6,
trustees,2 embraced the liberal and comprehensive ethos
Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church
risk-taking, and openness to new perspectives.
1974. Building on the strengths of its predecessors—the
in Philadelphia (est. 1857) and Episcopal Theologi-
cal School (est. 1867)—EDS has offered the Episcopal
Church, Anglican Communion, and diverse faith com-
munities a unique voice in theological education: inten-
tionally progressive with ever deepening commitments
to social and ecclesial justice.
Following the merger, founding co-deans Ed Harris
(ETS ’41) and Harvey Guthrie wrote:
The past year has not been easy for either of us, nor
for the faculty and students in Philadelphia and Cam-
bridge . . . But we believe that we are experiencing
what is inevitable if the institutions and structures of
the church respond responsibly to cultural and financial and sociological realities of the present . . .
Transformation
From its founding at the eve of the Civil War, PDS was
open to students of all races. In addition to a regular body
of African Americans, it attracted students from China,
Japan, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, and Armenia, among
others. Some were Anglican, others AME, Lutheran,
Orthodox, and Armenian Catholic. Joseph Motoda
(class of 1893) was the first native Japanese bishop; sev-
eral Chinese bishops were also graduates. PDS’s diverse
ecumenical and international environment was enhanced
in 1921 when it built a new Gothic-inspired campus in
the midst of the University of Pennsylvania.
By the end of the 19th century, PDS had begun offering training for deaconesses, often African Ameri-
biggest things in the history of the church. Its sig-
that education in 1929 by admitting women as regular
today: racism and discrimination against women and
1938 the Church Training and Deaconess School (est.
ger and human need of many kinds. The significance
the Department of Women, led by Dean Katharine Ar-
from the structures of the past, filled with blessings as
bachelor of theology degree. That pioneering era ended
the beginning of the kingdom of God nor one of the
cans preparing to minister to freed slaves. It expanded
nificance fades before the real issues before the church
students, usually for vocations in religious education. In
social justice and national morality and spiritual hun-
1891) moved to PDS’s campus and was established as
of the merger finally lies in the necessity to walk away
nett Grammer. Women, like men, were awarded PDS’s
1
Harvey Guthrie and Edward Harris, “EDS: A Progress Report,”
The blessings of EDS’s predecessors were indeed many.
Episcopal Theological School Bulletin ( June 1974). Harris, previous-
ETS shared a similar spirit and hope. They even had
Guthrie, previously ETS dean, was solo dean through 1984–1985.
Founded during an era of ecclesial expansion, PDS and
something of a shared history: John Seely Stone, lauded 19th century preacher, was a founding member of
the PDS faculty and subsequently was called as ETS’s
first dean a decade later. Both schools had lay boards of
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Inclusive Education, Academic Freedom, and Societal
The merger of ETS and PDS into EDS is neither
they were, into the future into which God calls us. 1
PAGE 18
within Anglicanism, and encouraged freedom of inquiry,
ly PDS dean, served as co-dean until 1976. Following his retirement,
2
ETS’s board of trustees was entirely lay. At its founding, PDS’s board
of trustees was also lay, save the bishop of Pennsylvania who was its
chairman. PDS also had a board of overseers, comprised of bishops and
other clergy. Eventually PDS’s two boards were merged and clergy and
lay served together. This model was brought to EDS as well.
in 1952, however, when the Training and Deaconess
School relocated to New York.
Founded in Cambridge to balance Harvard’s prevailing Unitarianism, ETS required that its teaching
conform to the doctrine of “Justification by Faith.” Yet
it developed a unique relationship with the university,
providing students and faculty unparalleled access and
becoming the first Episcopal seminary to teach biblical
criticism. ETS likewise was the first to appoint a woman
to its regular faculty: Adelaide Teague Case, professor
of Christian education, in 1941. After several years of
registering women as special students through Radcliffe
College, in 1958 ETS opened its programs to women on
an equal basis with men, the first Episcopal seminary to
do so after PDS closed its Department of Women.
In the same era, students and faculty took active inter-
est in the civil rights movement. Included were Jonathan
Daniels ’66 and Judith Upham ’67, who petitioned the
faculty for permission to stay in Alabama after Dr. King’s
call to join the march for freedom. On August 20, 1965,
Daniels was killed in Hayneville by a gunman aiming for
June 1974 issue of the Episcopal Theological School
Bulletin featuring Harvey H. Guthrie and Edward
G. Harris, co-deans of the newly-formed EDS, on
the cover (Photo Credit: Episcopal Divinity School
Archives).
Ruby Sales, an African American fellow activist (three
including cross-registration, library privileges, and joint
ing in 1998). While Daniels and Upham may be the best
cal Institute, established in 1968. The simultaneous relo-
decades later Ruby Sales was an EDS student, graduatremembered, they certainly were not alone among ETS’s
civil rights activists. Several African American students,
especially, persistently called church and society to deeper understandings of justice in all of its manifestations.
Unity and Justice in Service of the Gospel
Compelling justice issues raised by the civil rights and
women’s movements and the Vietnam War led faith
communities to consider how they might unite to effect
positive change. Episcopal seminaries in Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia participated in the founding of
diverse ecumenical consortia in their respective cities,
faculty ventures. The strongest was the Boston Theologi-
cation of the Jesuits’ Weston College (later Weston Jesuit
School of Theology) to ETS’s campus brought particular
life and vibrancy to post-Vatican II ecumenism.
In a similar spirit, in 1971 the General Theological
Seminary in New York, PDS, and ETS responded to
the Board for Theological Education’s call for the consolidation of seminaries by establishing the Episcopal
Consortium for Theological Education in the Northeast
(ECTENE). It anticipated a common curriculum, faculty and student exchanges, a doctoral program, and poContinued on pg. 22
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PAGE 19
Spread from June 1974 issue of the Episcopal Theological School Bulletin showing faculty of the merged school.
Continued from pg. 19
tentially a merger. To initiate the new relationship EC-
of the ordinations and adjunct faculty through EC-
mission and women in the church, among them Suzanne
New York’s Union Theological Seminary. Four of 26
TENE appointed adjunct faculty in the areas of urban
R. Hiatt, ETS ’64.
A three-way merger proved impossible as General’s
constitution did not allow it to leave New York, while the
others prized the unique relationship that ETS enjoyed
with Harvard University, as well as newer relationships
and Heyward were accorded the same rights as other
faculty priests in presiding at the Eucharist and administering sacraments.
The appointment solidified EDS’s progressive voice.
But it angered some constituencies already uncertain
the trustees and faculty of PDS and ETS to envision a
beloved seminaries had died in the birth of the new.
bold new future, voting for merger on ETS’s campus in
the summer of 1974.
Upholding principles of fairness and mutuality, both
tenured faculties were maintained, resulting in a faculty
of 26 for 150 to 180 students in the earliest years. Although impressive in scope, the large faculty led to con-
siderable financial strain after PDS’s campus was sold to
the University of Pennsylvania for only $607,000, well
below the market value of $2.8 million. Faculty retirements and the sale of student family housing on Kirk-
land Street in Cambridge helped ease financial strain,
but costs and declining enrollment proved challenging
in the long term.
Yet, the School made a commitment—following
threat of resignation by Dean Guthrie in 1974—to add
an ordained Anglican woman to the faculty. To that
point women had only been ordained as deacons. But
following the “irregular” Philadelphia ordinations that
July there were priests as well, prompting discernment
of how fully EDS would be able to embrace the call to
justice (read more about the ordination in “Beyond the
Barrier,” page 14 of this issue).
In 1975 EDS appointed two of the Philadelphia
priests to a single position—Suzanne Hiatt, organizer
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faculty members voted in opposition. Notably, Hiatt
with Weston College and the BTI. Although General
could not join, the positive experience in ECTENE led
PAGE 22
TENE, and Carter Heyward, a doctoral candidate in
about the merger. Indeed, some alumni/ae felt that their
While this sense of loss was to be expected, unique aspects of each school were maintained. Perhaps most sig-
nificant, EDS’s pedagogy followed an innovative model
developed in Philadelphia leading to several educational
hallmarks: curriculum and program conferences, regular
student and faculty interaction, and student responsibility
for defining and meeting educational goals. EDS was a
new institution with DNA inherited from both parents.
Curricular Innovation
The Philadelphia faculty had pressed especially for its
curriculum to become EDS’s educational cornerstone.
In its 1988 accreditation assessment, the Association
of Theological Schools described it as “genuinely innovative in philosophy and pedagogical practice—a new
model for theological education.” We might even discern that it was this curricular focus on students’ insights
and experience, inherited from Philadelphia, that pro-
pelled EDS to emphasize justice in the profound way
that it has, not simply as an intellectual position, but as
lived reality.
Faculty, too, began to speak from lived experience. In
1974 ethics professor Hayden McCallum, formerly of
Philadelphia, came out as a gay man, followed in 1979
by Carter Heyward identifying as lesbian. They men-
Suzanne Hiatt (center), ETS ’64 and a Philadelphia Eleven member, was appointed to
the EDS faculty in 1975.
tored increasing numbers of LGBT persons studying
FLTM attracted scores of students, while others,
ity issues.
teaching and ethos increasingly outside the Episcopal
and teaching at EDS, initiating its leadership on sexual Over time, as faculty retired or took other positions,
the School committed to appointing feminist schol-
ars in each department, leading to three hires in 1984:
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, New Testament; Katie
Geneva Cannon, ethics; and Fredrica Harris Thompsett,
Anglican history. These scholars, with Hiatt and Heyward, developed a revolutionary new program in femi-
nist theology. Founded in 1986, Feminist Liberation
Theology and Ministry utilized EDS’s curriculum and
pedagogical emphasis on experience to challenge traditional theological concepts, sexism, heterosexism, and
patriarchy in church and society. In 1989, Alison Cheek
’90, a DMin graduate and Philadelphia Eleven priest,
became the first FLTM director, serving until 1996. The
program’s name later was changed to Studies in Feminist Liberation Theology (FLT).
including bishops and alumni/ae, found the School’s
Church’s mainstream. On campus there were tensions,
too, as the former ETS and PDS faculty sometimes
clashed with the insights and emphases of the feminist
faculty and students. Such conflicts were particularly
pronounced in the chapel, as the community struggled
over the appropriate liturgical language for worship.
Looking to expand its appeal across the church, in
1985 EDS called Utah’s Bishop Otis Charles as dean
and president, succeeding Harvey Guthrie. Under
Charles’s leadership the faculty developed complementary curricular programs to FLTM focused on Parish
Ministry in the Contemporary World (later Congregational Studies) and Anglican, Global, and Ecumenical Studies (AGE). With them EDS sought a balance
among an increasing diversity of voices and perspectives,
simultaneously pushing the church in a stronger justice-
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PAGE 23
The Rev. Dr. Alison Cheek ’90 (left), Laurel Dykstra ’97, and the
Rev. Dr. Renée Hill, May 1997. Cheek was the first director of
the Feminist Liberation Theology and Ministry program at EDS.
Hill succeeded Cheek as director in 1996.
The School became increasingly aware, however, that
it wasn’t sufficient to simply attract students, faculty, and
staff of color. It needed to confront racism, both on campus and in the wider church and society. Thus, alongside
its feminist commitments, anti-racism work became a
particular focus, especially during the deanship of William W. Rankin (ETS ’66), himself inspired by the civil
focused direction while not abandoning the training of
parish clergy.
Commitment to Anti-Racism and Multi-Culturalism
While always voicing a commitment to diversity, EDS
often struggled to attract students of color. In the late
1970s and early 1980s it undertook a concerted recruitment effort, with as many as 10 students of color enrolled
at a given time. However, that level of diversity proved
difficult to maintain. Addressing this concern two schol-
arships were established: the Absalom Jones and J. Rawson Collins Scholarships supporting U.S. students of
color. Through them EDS sought to build a critical mass
of students, creating a safer living and learning environment while preparing more people of color for church
leadership.
A 1983 racism audit likewise lead to a commitment to
appoint people of color to the faculty. The first of these
hires was Prof. Cannon, followed by Nathan Baxter, ad-
ministrative dean from 1990–1992; Kwok Pui Lan, the-
ology and spirituality in 1992; Joan Martin, ethics, 1993;
Renée L. Hill, FLT director, 1996–1998; Karen Mont-
agno, dean of student and community life, 1996–2009;
Christopher Duraisingh (ETS ’65) of the World Coun-
cil of Churches as distinguished professor of theology,
1997; Gale Yee, FLT director and Hebrew Bible, 1998;
and Canon Edward Rodman (ETS ’67), pastoral theology and urban mission, 2002–2014.
EDSNOW
PAGE 24
rights movement and the witness of his classmates Jona-
than Daniels and Judith Upham. An ethicist by training,
Rankin came to EDS in 1993 from parish ministry and
service as vice chair of the Episcopal Church’s Standing
Commission on Peace and Justice.
The anti-racism and multiculturalism focus of the
1990s led to several developments: the Foundations for
Theological Praxis course; partnership with VISIONS,
Inc. for diversity training; and establishment of the
Change Team and Anti-Racism Facilitation Group.
The latter urged: “EDS should focus on anti-racist, ra-
cial diversity and multicultural change institutionally
and culturally … as a dimension in every part of its
life, with the implication that all other forms of libera-
tion would be inherently addressed.” By the turn of the
century EDS’s liberationist commitments became truly
interdisciplinary and universal across the curriculum,
with ever deeper layers of identity-based justice work at
the School’s center.
Twenty-First Century Changes and Challenges
Following Bill Rankin’s resignation in 1998, Steven
Charleston ’76, chaplain of Trinity College in Hartford
and resigned bishop of Alaska, was called as its next
president and dean in the School’s 25th anniversary year.
A member of the Choctaw Nation, he was the first per-
son of color to lead an Episcopal seminary and brought a
deep commitment to spiritual growth and reconciliation.
This proved especially important as church and society
maintained autonomy while sharing the Brattle Street
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and tense relationships
ings under EDS ownership, others sold to Lesley, and
responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,
across the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Com-
munion. Early in Charleston’s tenure EDS saw a renais-
sance of goodwill across the wider church and society,
perhaps unknown since the merger.
However, the economic downturn of the new century
hit hard. The endowment decreased substantially, un-
able to support the campus and programs. Enrollment
and the pool of potential students likewise diminished
as many could no longer afford relocation to Cambridge
for an expensive program of theological study. Difficult
decisions followed: long-time staff members were laid off
and faculty ceased dedicating directors to the FLT, AGE,
and Congregational Studies programs. While commit-
ment to these curricular emphases continued, the unique
and vibrant programs for students, alumni/ae, and the
wider community ended.
Simultaneously, trustees and faculty explored propos-
als for ensuring survival, including new partnerships or
alliances with seminaries and universities; sale of the
campus and relocation; or cessation of academic programs and transition into a progressive think-tank. Al-
though the more radical ideas were deemed unviable, the
process encouraged consideration of every possibility.
In 2005, Weston Jesuit School of Theology announced
its relocation to Boston College after decades of mu-
tual interdependence. The loss was especially profound
for the integrated library, previously among the largest
theological collections in North America but subse-
quently divided. Weston’s departure prompted another
intensive period of exploration, resulting in a partner-
ship agreement with Lesley University. Each institution
campus in a condominium arrangement: some buildsome shared, principally the Sherrill Hall library and
classrooms.
The sale of property, including Lawrence and Win-
throp Halls, the Hasting House (101 Brattle Street), and
Washburn refectory, increased EDS’s endowment substantially, from a low of $35 million in 2005 to over $73
million in 2011. At the same time, a campus that had
been a quiet refuge for theological scholars took on a new
character as its dormitories, cafeteria, and library filled
with undergraduates. EDS maintained student residences in Burnham Hall and houses on St. John’s Road for a
considerably smaller on-campus community.
Bishop Charleston resigned in 2008. No one could
have imagined nine years earlier the extraordinary
changes EDS would face during his tenure. The School
was different upon his departure—smaller and in many
ways less certain—but financially stronger. Katherine
Hancock Ragsdale (DMin, ’97) was elected as the fifth
president and dean in 2009. Coming with a background
in small church ministry and political activism, she was
the second female dean of an Episcopal seminary and
the first openly gay or lesbian (Otis Charles came out
as a gay man following his retirement as EDS’s dean
and president in 1993, the first bishop of the Episcopal
Church to do so).
Partnerships, Online Education, and Distributive Learning
Exploring options for increasing enrollment beyond its
primary constituency in the Episcopal Church, early
in the new century EDS became a partner seminary
of the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC),
a denomination focused on the LGBT community. It
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PAGE 25
The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston outside St. John’s Chapel in May
2008. A member of the Choctaw Nation, Charleston ’76 was president and dean of EDS from 1998 to 2008, and was the first person of
color to lead an Episcopal seminary.
likewise partnered with the Episcopal Church’s Office
people today. Embracing emerging theologies, changing
descent in the pursuit of doctor of ministry degrees. But
maintain its clear and progressive voice, while securing
of Asiamerican Ministries to support priests of Asian
most significantly, the faculty developed new educational
technologies allowing students to attend classes online.
Launched in 2007, EDS’s Distributive Learning program enabled students across North America and beyond
to enroll in regular degree programs. The majority of lectures are conducted online, with intensive on-campus
residencies in January and June. In developing the new
program, the faculty re-envisioned how theological edu-
cation could be pursued, both for those studying at a distance and traditionally on campus.
Like the merger, the FLT program, and the anti-racism
commitment, the advent of the Distributive Learning
option has proven revolutionary. EDS today is no less
real, but certainly it is different from previous generations. The quality of the education is not necessarily
diminished—from the start it has been incumbent on
EDS students to ensure their own learning in articu-
lating and working toward their vocational goals—but
students, faculty, and staff alike have had to become
more intentional in creating successful community
across diverse space.
Walking into the Future
In reflecting on EDS’s 40 years we find a rich inheritance
from its parent schools as it strives for racial, gender, and
sexual justice and works for reconciliation among God’s
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PAGE 26
demographics, and new technologies, EDS has sought to
a more elusive financial stability. Often it has faced dif-
ficult choices, such as the decision to leave behind the
beloved Philadelphia campus, the more recent sale of a
portion of the Brattle Street campus, and the develop-
ment of online programs. But always EDS has pursued
its mission with passion and commitment to discern-
ing God’s call in service of an inclusive, compassionate,
and liberating gospel.
As the School considers the challenges and opportunities of theological education in the second decade of
the 21st century and beyond, the letter by Deans Har-
ris and Guthrie has particular resonance and relevance.
Racism, sexism, and poverty, as well as homophobia,
xenophobia, social stratification, militarism, and ecological destruction still confront us. These enduring is-
sues signal the need for the transformational theological education that Episcopal Divinity School offers. As
it confronts them and more, EDS continues its bold
and pioneering walk into the future into which God
calls us.
The Rev. Dr. Matthew P. Cadwell ’99 is rector of Emmanuel Church in Wakefield, MA; lecturer in theology
at Trinity College, University of Toronto; and co-president of EDS’s Alumni/ae Executive Committee. He
previously wrote A History of Episcopal Divinity School:
In Celebration of its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary (2000).
Continued from pg. 5
in our worship. We live in a scientific age. Our under-
reflecting a broader theology will take a bridge built of
very different today from that of the 17th century. Why
lost sense of urgency.
standing of the world and universe in which we live is
hasn’t the prayer book evolved similarly?
“revolutionary patience” and determination, and a never
And there are so many other bridges that carry an
An English theologian—whose name I’ve forgot-
urgency about them, needing to be built. You will know
God Is Too Small. The image of God in our prayer books
And when your bridge is built, stay alert. Remember in
ten—wrote many years ago a little book entitled Your
is overwhelmingly male. Some try to open it up a little
by imagining God as mother and father. But have you
ever seen God called “she” in the prayer book?
Now we know that God is not male or female (or
do we?); that images, signs, and symbols with which we
try to point the way to the nature of the Holy must not
be mistaken for the Holy. So does this language thing
what yours is, and how to rally others to your concern.
the fairy story there is a troll living under the bridge and
laying claim to it. Be savvy, and be led by the Spirit.
Go well, dear friends; celebrate joyfully; roll up your
sleeves for the work ahead. And may our Sophia-God
bless us all.
Amen.
really matter?
I think it matters very much indeed. Many women
and girls still struggle to embrace their full person-
hood. It is counter-cultural. Misogyny lurks hidden
and often overt.
One of the hardest places for women to “grow up
into the full stature of Christ” is in the church.
Forty years ago I wanted to do something for wom-
en. Well, I think we did. To see women priests and bish-
ops presiding at the Eucharist, and a woman presiding
in the House of Bishops, is a liberating thing for many
women, and enhances our self-esteem. But then it is
eroded by the weekly repetition of the androcentric lan-
guage of the liturgy. And where the priest is a woman,
she is obliged to pronounce the authoritative words and
to present God as male. Unconsciously, are we back to
where we started?
We need a bridge which helps people recognize the
power of language—what is said and what is left un-
said. To produce some authorized, alternative liturgies
The Rev. Dr. Alison Cheek, the Rt. Rev. Jose “Tony”
Ramos, the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, and the Rev. Merrill Bittner at Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany in
Philadelphia, July 2014.
EDSNOW
PAGE 27
THEOLOGY WITHOUT WORDS
DEAF PEOPLE, GOD, AND THE CHURCH
By Richard Mahaffy
Last fall, I did an independent study course with Br.
people would be better off if they could become whole,
for the course entitled, Theology Without Words: Deaf
ing message for people who are unable to change their
David Vryhof, SSJE, on Deaf theology. I wrote a paper
People, God, and the Church. We explored some of the
basic tenets of Christian theology from a Deaf perspec-
tive. Deaf adults represent a unique and under-served
population in the church, with special needs which result from the difficulties they often have in communica-
tion, and especially in understanding and using English.
In this study, I examined the particular challenges Deaf
people have in understanding and accepting Christian
doctrines, drawing on recent works in Deaf theology and
Deaf liberation theology.
In her book, Deaf Liberation Theology, Hannah Lewis,
a Deaf woman priest in the Church of England, makes
some excellent points about how hearing people view
Deaf people and how they use the Bible to make assumptions about Deaf people.
For example, consider the story of the healing of
a Deaf man in Mark 7:32-37. That Deaf man, who is
“healed,” becomes a hearing person. Everyone thought it
was wonderful that Jesus did that, that Jesus changed a
Deaf man to a hearing man. Is this a good thing? Does
it presume that hearing people are better than Deaf people? Does it assume that Deaf people are not whole and
that they need to be healed? Is this man better off now
because he was Deaf before and now is hearing? Should
Deaf people want to become like hearing people?
Who Are the Deaf?
I would like to distinguish between four different groups
in terms of hearing loss. There are differences of opinion
about who belongs in which category,2 but these are the
four primary groups as I prefer to define them. (1) The
term “Deaf ” (with a capital “D”) usually refers to people
who are born profoundly deaf or who become deaf at a
pre-linguistic age. Generally, American Sign Language
is their first language (especially if they are born to Deaf
parents). (2) The term “Deaf ” can also refer to profoundly
Deaf people who have been raised with the oral method
but have acquired sign language at a later age (normally,
they have hearing parents or deaf oral parents). This is
the group to which I belong. (3) A third group, “deaf ”
with a small “d,” refers to those who, perhaps because
of sickness or an accident, become deaf after acquiring
language. This group would also include people who
have had their hearing restored (at least to some extent)
through cochlear implants or other medical procedures.
(4) The final group includes people who are hard-of1
Hannah Lewis, Deaf Liberation Theology (Burlington, VT: Ashgate
Publishing Company, 2007), 145-146.
2
Doug Alker, the first Deaf chief executive of the Royal National
Institute for Deaf People (RNID) in Great Britain, uses three groups:
what message this kind of story gives to Deaf people,
guage), deaf (those with profound hearing losses who acquired Eng-
including me. What does it mean if Jesus does not heal
us? By focusing on people with disabilities, healing stories about Jesus can give the false impression that these
EDSNOW
condition.1 We have to challenge those assumptions.
Some Deaf people object to these notions. This story
challenges our thinking because we have to figure out
PAGE 28
if they could become “normal.” This can be a discourag-
Deaf (those with profound hearing losses prior to acquiring lan-
lish prior to losing their hearing) and hard of hearing, those with
sufficient hearing to participate in hearing society). [Wayne Morris,
Theology Without Words (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2008), 13-14.]
hearing (who may or may not use sign language), but
can function in hearing society. Hard-of-hearing people
are generally not referred to as “deaf,” just as people who
wear glasses are not referred to as “blind.”
Two Types of Deaf Ministry
There are two different types of ministry with the Deaf:
ministry that takes place in hearing churches (through
interpreters), and ministry in Deaf congregations that use
sign language as the principal means of communication.
Hearing churches with interpreted services rely heavily on English and make use of liturgical texts such as
those found in the Book of Common Prayer. Deaf people
are asked to participate in liturgies that have been de-
Richard Mahaffy is an MDiv student at EDS and is a postulant for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.
He is profoundly Deaf since his birth.
signed by and for hearing people. In these churches, Deaf
adapted to their needs and reflect their culture. These
language or in ways that reflect their culture. Instead they
Deaf people, especially for those whose grasp of English
people, and that depend heavily on words. Sermons and
the ministries of the Deaf church, including its leadership.
people do not pray and celebrate the liturgy in their own
adaptations make these liturgies far more accessible for
use forms of worship that were developed for hearing
may be limited. Deaf members can participate fully in all
hymn texts in particular are often very difficult for Deaf
What Is Deaf Theology and Why Is It Important?
members to follow. Deaf people who join a hearing con-
gregation often sit near the front of the church to view
the sign language interpreters during the worship service. This is not desirable for many Deaf people (including me) because it gives us limited choice of seating in
the service. It is, however, the norm for Deaf people who
attend hearing churches throughout the United States
and the world over. Deaf people who belong to hearing
churches are seldom given opportunities to share in the
leadership of the church, and may be limited to only a
few areas of service.
Deaf congregations in which sign language is the
principal means of communication offer Deaf people
the opportunity to participate in liturgies that have been
Deaf people should not only be included in church, but
should also be encouraged to develop their own distinc-
tive understanding of Christian truth, a truly Deaf theology. Deaf theology is a new field which looks at theolog-
ical questions from the perspective of Deaf people and
their experience of God and of the world.
So far, very little has been written, and the few books
that have been written come from hearing or deafened
authors. Deaf people communicate their ideas in sign
language, which often cannot be recorded accurately
in print. So, Deaf theology arises in this non-written,
visual-rather-than-verbal context, unlike other forms of
theology, which are either expressed through or dependent on written texts.
Continued on pg. 31
EDSNOW
PAGE 29
Class NOTES
1950–1959
William Opel ’52 published his first book The Jackdaw
and the Peacock: Biblical Mistranslations and Christian
Traditions, in November. The book is written for the laity,
encouraging them to ask the questions raised by progressive Christians in a world rapidly accepting a scientific
understanding of the world.
John G. Hay ’54 celebrated the 60th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood on December 21, 2014, at the
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, WA,
where he continues to be in active ministry.
Robert L. Hyde ’55 continues to tutor at Cambridge
Rindge and Latin School: laborare est orare.
Dr. Charles Wood ’55 published a collection of prayers
for the 50th anniversary of Penick Village, the Episcopal
home for the aged in North Carolina. He celebrated the
60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on
January 23, 2015.
W. Brown Patterson ’58 recently published a book with
Oxford University Press entitled William Perkins and the
Making of a Protestant England. Perkins was a scholar and
writer at Cambridge University and major figure forging
a new religious culture during the English Reformation.
1960–1969
Fred Fenton ’61 celebrated his 79th birthday on April 5,
2014, by driving from his home in Concord, CA to San
Jose to participate in a demonstration against government
failure to reform unjust immigration enforcement policies.
Hollinshead Knight ’62 just finished a 12th interim job at
St. Paul’s in Salem, OR. Hollinshead is currently enjoying unstructured time and is keeping busy.
EDSNOW
PAGE 30
Paul M. Thompson ’62 retired in May 2014 as part-time
associate at St. Peter’s in Osterville, MA. He has a new
granddaughter who was born in August and he is enjoying spending time with her.
John Scannell ’64 retired in 2007 from St. Michael & All
Angels in Portland, OR. John now serves as chaplain to
retired clergy and spouses and partners. He also coordinates the diocesan mentoring program for new clergy and
clergy in new positions. He has served as interim rector at
St. Paul’s in Oregon City and will be interim rector at Sts.
Peter and Paul in Portland beginning in March.
John Calhoun ’65, deeply affected by the Civil Rights
movement and the ministry of Jon Daniels, has been a lifelong proponent of justice and has worked as commissioner
of youth services in Boston and as president and CEO of
the National Crime Prevention Council. The interweaving of faith and policy is the core of his recent book, Hope
Matters: The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America.
He reports, “This is a very exciting time in my life.”
Blayney Colmore ’66 has published his memoir, Dead
Reckoning. It is available on Amazon and in bookstores
in paperback and e-book.
Michael Shank ’66 retired in 2006, having served in three
dioceses—PA, NJ, and Albany. He still serves two small
churches in the Catskills, and is a one-day-a-week chaplain at a NY state developmental center. He is very much
into anointing for healing in his ministries, and still
wears his PDS crest on his tippet.
Bruce B. Lawrence ’67 wrote Who is Allah? (UNC Press,
April 2015).
David Nicholson ’68 has been semi-retired since 1996.
He is currently serving as priest-in-charge, St. Luke
Episcopal Church in Springfield, MA.
James L. Friedrich ’69 walked the 500 mile Camino de
Santiago in 33 days last spring. He lives on Bainbridge
Island, WA, and blogs as The Religious Imagineer at
jimfriedrich.com.
Continued from pg. 29
The problem with theology for Deaf people is that
most theologies are written in books which often are
complicated and inaccessible for Deaf people. Deaf the-
ology is based on vision and touch rather than written
expressions because vision and touch are more accessible
to the Deaf. However, Deaf theology has similar char-
1970–1979
Rev. Dr. John Van Eenwyk ’70 consulted with the Gaza
Community Mental Health Programme in November
2014. His entry into Gaza was facilitated by Washington
Physicians for Social Responsibility. This was Dr. Van
Eenwyk’s eighth trip to Gaza since 1991 to consult with
GCMHP.
acteristics to theologies that arise from the perspectives
Richard L. Tolliver ’72 shares the news of the St. Edmund’s Housing Ministry, an active housing redevelopment non-profit ministry of St. Edmund’s Episcopal
Church, Chicago. He writes, “When I visited Episcopal
seminaries in the late 1960s, ETS was the only one that
offered a flexible enough curriculum and an amazing resource abundant educational environment that allowed
me to prepare for the future ministry that has been realized.” You can read more about Rev. Tolliver and St.
Edmund’s Church in the fall issue of Thrive Magazine,
the magazine of the Diocese of Chicago.
standing and support among hearing people for minis-
of other minorities because of the common links of discrimination and oppression. Deaf people experience discrimination and oppression resulting from an imbalance
in the dynamics of power, much like women, black people, poor people, LGBTQ people, and disabled people.
In recent years, Deaf ministry has declined, due to a
number of factors including: (1) A general lack of undertry with the Deaf (few bishops feel the numbers of Deaf
people served warrant the expense); (2) The dispersion of
the Deaf community because of medical advances and
mainstreaming, which remains a huge challenge for Deaf
churches; (3) Less money available for ministry in general, which means that many Deaf ministries are being
squeezed out of existence; (4) The ongoing challenge for
the need to accommodate Deaf people in worship, edu-
cation, etc., especially because of the problem of communication.
David Williams ’72 has decided, after 41 years in and out
of parish ministry, that within the next few years he will
retire in South Carolina. He encourages others to explore
South Carolina and to be in touch.
In order for bishops and dioceses to assist and sup-
1980–1989
Rev. James Wallis ’81 was featured as a speaker at Inter-
task for the leaders in the church to identify the current
Continued on pg. 32
port Deaf ministry, they need to be educated about Deaf
culture and understand that American Sign Language is
a language in its own right. Interpreted services are not
sufficient to meet the needs of Deaf people. It is a critical
needs of Deaf people and to create ways for the church
to continue to reach out to Deaf people.
EDSNOW
PAGE 31
Class NOTES
faith Forum: Image of God in October 2014 hosted by
the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada.
Carlton Russell ’83 moved to Maine with his wife, Lorna,
in 2004. He expected that he would be doing clergy supply work. However, he has been enjoying a ministry in
church music: organ playing, choir directing, and composing sacred choral music (with several anthems being
published by Paraclete Press and St. James Music Press).
He writes, “As Nelson Foxx ’81 said to me one day, ‘Ministry is where you find it’ and it can be a surprise.”
Rev. Zenetta Armstrong ’87 is rector of Church of the
Holy Spirit in Mattapan, MA which received the Award
for Social Justice at the Episcopal City Mission award
dinner in June 2014.
Carol Flett ’88 & ’00 has retired from parish ministry and
is continuing to work as the ecumenical & inter-religious
officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC,
where she recently developed a live webcast for the TSA
on “Christians Travelling: What We Might Wear, Say,
Do or Carry on an Airplane” as part of the TSA’s new
Religious Sensitivity Training for TSA officers. She was
also recently certified by FEMA as an emotional & spiritual care volunteer and is the chair of the Montgomery
Country, Maryland Faith Leaders Response Team.
1990–1999
Dalene Fuller Rogers ’90 is serving as associate pastor at
Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Las Cruces, New
Mexico.
Rhea Miller ’92 is a social artist and the assistant director
of Lopez Community Land Trust. She served more than
10 years as county commissioner of San Juan County.
She has been interviewed on Good Morning America SunEDSNOW
PAGE 32
day and CBS Sunday Morning, and has a long history
as a community organizer with international experience.
Rhea authored the book Cloudhand, Clenched Fist: Chaos,
Crisis, and the Emergence of Community. She lives on Lopez Island in a straw bale home with a wastewater garden, rainwater catchment, composting toilet and peace
gardens full of vegetables and flowers. She recently spoke
at TEDx Orcas Island in Washington.
Joan Sakalas ’92 reports that she is one of those many
who will never retire, but have the gift of doing what
she loves. In Vermont, she is teaching students at three
colleges. Her specialties are race, ethnicity, class and gender; ethics for helping professions; and family violence.
She writes, “Thinking back I realize that much of what
frames my beliefs and guiding principles was developed
at EDS. For that I am very grateful.”
Emmanuel Addo ’96 was appointed as the dean of St.
Nicholas Theological Seminary, Church of the Province
of West Africa, effective August 1, 2014.
Gail Cafferata ’97 of Church of the Incarnation and St.
Andrews-in-the-Redwoods and visiting researcher, Boston University School of Theology, was awarded a 2015
Louisville Institute Project Grant for Researchers for her
study “The Last Pastor: Adaptive Challenges and WellBeing among Protestant Clergy Closing their Churches.” Pastor Gail’s national, ecumenical study of pastors
in five mainline denominations seeks to understand how
the process of closing a church affects the pastor’s understanding of their pastoral identity, their vocational decisions, spiritual life, and family.
2000–2009
Van Windsor ’00 continues as rector of Trinity Episcopal
Church in Pine Bluff, AR; vicar of St. Mary’s Episcopal
Church in Monticello, AR; and dean of SE Arkansas’s
Executive Council.
Ruth Monette ’04 is director for ministry and mission
development (acting) at the Anglican Diocese of New
Westminster, Vancouver, Canada. As director, Ruth is
responsible for advising and assisting the bishop and diocesan leaders in enabling parishes to live into the vision
of growing communities of faith in Jesus Christ to serve
God’s mission in the world. Ruth provides staff support
to diocesan council and the standing committee focused
on mission and ministry and manages the Ministry Assessment Process (MAP) and parish mission review, program development, youth ministry, diocesan school for
leadership, and with the business administrator coordinates the work and staff of stewardship, planned giving,
and communications.
The Rev. Jane Bearden ’06 received the Bishop Barbara
C. Harris Award at the Episcopal City Mission award
dinner in June 2014.
Kristin Kranz ’06 is serving as the interim rector at Memorial Church in Baltimore, MD. Her parish participated in Baltimore City’s MLK parade.
Mary Cat Young ’06 and Chad Young welcomed their
first daughter Dorothy Sue Young, on September 14,
2014. Mary Cat continues to serve as Episcopal chaplain
to New York University, and was recently named young
adult network coordinator in the Diocese of New York.
The Rev. Christopher Wendell ’07 is currently in his fourth
year as rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford,
MA, where he lives with his wife, Kristen, and his two
sons, Nathan and A.J. Highlights of his past year include:
working with a fantastic EDS seminarian, being elected
to the standing committee of the Diocese of Massachusetts, and presiding in the EDS chapel on the Feast of
the Conversion of St. Paul.
Mark McKone-Sweet ’07 has accepted the call to serve as
the next rector of St. Bart’s in Poway, CA. He comes to
St. Bart’s from St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover, MA, where he has served as rector for five years. St.
Dunstan’s is a church that has grown from family-size
parish to a larger pastoral-size parish—approximately
100 households—in the past four years with Fr. Mark’s
leadership and guidance. His family includes his wife,
Kate, and their children, Maya and Marcos.
Donna Reidt ’08 has been called at St. Paul’s in Windsor,
VT as priest in partnership. Exciting new things are happening there: A giving room for people to come and take
needed clothing, a senior drop in center, and a monthly
community breakfast.
Rev. Dr. Joan M. Sanuik ’08 is part of the diversity committee at Wentworth Institute of Technology, tasked
with facilitating conversations about race and justice.
Joan writes, “I constantly rely on my EDS training!”
James Merritt ’08 & ’11, a civil rights activist and a leader
in the national movement to legalize gay marriages, is
the new senior pastor at Holy Cross Metropolitan Community Church in Pensacola, FL. Merritt, 51, is the marriage equality director for the Global Justice Institute
and public policy team of the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Church. “We will be known
as a social gospel church,” says Merritt, “We want to
share our voice which we believe is a godly calling for
equality, justice, and respect for all God’s creations.”
EDSNOW
PAGE 33
Class NOTES
2010–2014
Joyce Scheyer ’10 is priest-in-charge at Church of St.
John the Evangelist in New Brunswick, NJ as of June 1,
2014. She is loving it.
Marie Alford-Harkey ’10 was appointed as vice president
of local affairs by the Integrity USA board of directors in
November 2014. Marie is also the deputy director of the
Religious Institute, a national nonprofit dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith
communities and society. She is the lead author of the
2014 Religious Institute publication Bisexuality: Making
the Invisible Visible in Faith Communities.
Janet Morrow ’12 is serving at Trinity Episcopal Church
in Haverhill, MA as parish music director, as well as pro-
gram director for afterschool children’s outreach ministries: ACAT (Academy of Creative Arts at Trinity) is in
its sixth year of providing instrumental music lessons,
chorus, theatre, and art classes; FEAST (Fun and Enrichment After School at Trinity) just launched in Fall
2014, is an academic enrichment program based on the
Montessori philosophy of education. Both are provided
tuition-free to children grades 1–6 in Haverhill’s inner
city. Janet’s spouse, David, is the organist at Trinity.
Anne-Marie Montague ’14 has assumed the position of
executive director of Eagles Wings: Christian Love in
Action, which is a large food pantry in Beaufort County,
NC. She also volunteers at a domestic violence shelter
weekly.
ORDAINED DEACON
ORDAINED PRIEST
Sarah van Gulden ’07
Sarah van Gulden ’07
Mildred Morrow ’10
Keith Patterson ’08
David Prentice ’12
Mildred Morrow ’10
Lucretia Mann ’13
Brendan Curran ’12
Sarah Monroe ’13
Michael Chaney ’13
Allison Cornell ’14
Joslyn Ogden Schaefer ’13
Jimmie Sue Deppe ’14
Susan Taylor ’13
Yein Kim ’14
Paula Toland ’13
Eric Litman ’14
Susan Ohlidal ’14
Rachael Pettengill-Rasure ’14
Eric Partridge ’14
Martha Tucker ’14
Rachael Pettengill-Rasure ’14
Harry Walton ’14
Martha Tucker ’14
Harry Walton ’14
EDSNOW
PAGE 34
NECROLOGY
EDS REMEMBERS
FIRST PROCTER FELLOW
Floyd A. Adams PDS ’64
John J. Bishop ETS ’52
Charles W. Blacklock PDS ’68
Geoffrey L. Brice ETS ’56
John Jacob Bishop ’52 passed
J. Daniel Burke ETS ’61
away on April 8, 2014. Jack was
Arthur M. Donahue EDS ’98
William H. Freeman ETS ’59
Richard A. Knudsen ETS ’62
Charles E. Lange ETS ’56
Ralph E. Macy ETS ’50
Frederick R. Mills ETS ’63
Charles L.L. Poindexter
PDS ’58
Richard Reid ETS ’55
John C. Rivers ETS ’62
Alexander Seabrook ETS ’54
He served as adjunct professor of homiletics at
M. Thomas Shaw EDS Trustee
the Episcopal Theological School. Jack Bishop
Herman T. Silvius ETS ’52
was a tireless advocate for human and civil
William Smythe PDS ’56
rights and the ordination of women as priests.
Oscar W. Swensen ETS ’59
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Parish of
Bernice L. Thomas
EDS Procter Scholar
Dale L. Van Meter ETS ’51
James L. Verber
EDS ’88
Donald R. Welles
ETS ’62
Russell T. Williams
PDS ’58
Hubert S. Wood
PDS ’51
Episcopal Theological School’s
first Procter Fellow in 1966 and
was honored as distinguished
alumnus in 2012. He served parishes in
Somerville, Westwood, and Winchester, MA.
Following retirement, he served as interim
rector at parishes in Dedham, Belmont,
Provincetown, Falmouth, and Woods Hole.
the Epiphany, 70 Church Street, Winchester,
MA 01890, or to the Episcopal City Mission
at episcopalcitymission.org.
EDSNOW
PAGE 35
On CAMPUS
1
4
2
5
3
6
1. Suzanne Ehly, the Very Rev. Frank Fornaro ’96, and Dr. Gale Yee at the fall matriculation service in St. John’s Memorial
Chapel on September 8, 2014. 2. Participants line up for matriculation. 3. The fall 2014 matriculating class. 4. The Rt.
Rev. Alan Gates ’87, bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, delivers the matriculation address. 5. The Most Rev.
Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, at the Community Eucharist in St. John’s Chapel
on October 2, 2014, celebrating the 40th anniversary of women’s ordination to the priesthood. 6. and 7. Community
Eucharist celebrating the 40th anniversary of women’s ordination to the priesthood.
7
8
9
11
12
8. Joanna Dewey, former academic dean and Harvey H. Guthrie, Jr. Professor of Biblical Studies at EDS, at the DeweyHeyward lectures on October 2, 2014. 9. Dr. Tat-siong Benny Liew presents the Joanna Dewey Lecture on October 2,
2014. 10. The Hon. Emily C. Hewitt, retired chief judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims—and member of
the Philadephia Eleven, moderates a panel during the Dewey-Heyward Lectures. 11. The Rt. Rev. Jose “Tony” Ramos
’62, who participated in the ordination of the first women to the priesthood on July 29, 1974, at the Dewey-Heyward
Lectures. 12. Philadelphia Eleven members the Rev. Betty Bone Schiess and the Rev. Dr. Nancy Wittig take part in a
panel at the Dewey-Heyward Lectures. 13. Audience at the Dewey-Heyward Lectures.
10
13
14. Victoria A. Budson, founding executive director of the Women and Public Policy program at the Harvard Kennedy
School of Government, speaking at the Women’s Leadership Forum at EDS on October 3, 2014. 15. Wendy Puriefoy,
former director of education at the Barr Foundation and former president of Public Education Network, speaking at the
Women’s Leadership Forum at EDS. 16. Wendy Puriefoy, Victoria Budson, the Rev Winnie Varghese, rector of St. Mark’sChurch-in-the-Bowery in New York City and EDS trustee, and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, at the Women’s
Leadership Forum at EDS. 17. The Very Rev. Dr. Harvey H. Guthrie ’85, president and dean of EDS from 1974–1985,
speaking during EDS’s 40th anniversary celebrations on October 24, 2014. 18. The Very Rev. Dr. William Rankin ’66,
president and dean of EDS from 1993–1998, at EDS’s 40th anniversary celebrations. 19. Advent carol service at St. John’s
Chapel on December 4, 2014. 20. Community Eucharist at St. John’s Chapel on January 12, 2015. 21. Panelists and
moderators of the Challenging the Church: Postcolonial Practice of Ministry conference at EDS on November 15, 2014,
co-convened by Dr. Kwok Pui Lan and the Rev. Dr. Stephen Burns. 22. General Ordination Examinations–takers shortly
after completing their exams on January 8, 2015. 23. Members of the EDS community participating in the “Hands Up
Walk Out” protest on December 1, 2014, in solidarity with the Hands Up Don’t Shoot movement that arose after the
shooting death of teenager Michael Brown. 24. EDS students and staff gather for the blessing of the community lounge
in Burnham Hall on January 13, 2015.
14
15
17
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Faculty UPDATES
Angela Bauer-Levesque returned from her fall term
sabbatical, which began with an immersion in higher
education policies and practices during the 2014 HERS
Institute at Bryn Mawr College. It continued with reading, talking, and writing about leadership in higher education in general and theological education in particular.
The leadership project will result in the proposal of an
integrated curriculum for multiple delivery platforms.
Suzanne Ehly was co-facilitator for VISIONS, Inc.
anti-oppression/multicultural trainings at Yale Divinity School (October 2014); LifeTogether in Diocese of
MA (October 2014 to May 2015); Association of Independent Schools of New England Diversity Conference (October 2014); and Being Culturally Responsible
in Urban Settings Conference (October 2014 and April
2015). She was part of the EDS faculty team that presented on anti-racism/anti-oppression and baptismal
ministry work at Living Stones Conference in San Antonio, TX in February 2015. In April 2015, Ehly is guest
lecturer on voice and leadership in the Women in Ministry course at Boston College School of Theology and
Ministry, as well as workshop leader for the Unshackled
leadership team, an urban farm and employment project
(started by Aimee Altizer, EDS ’15) that works with formerly incarcerated people in Salt Lake City, UT.
Kwok Pui Lan contributed a chapter titled “Reading the
Christian New Testament in the Contemporary World”
in the New Testament volume of the Fortress Commentary on the Bible (Fortress Press, 2014). She attended a
conference on “Southern Knowledge” organized by University of Capetown in South Africa from March 11 to
13, 2015. She was announced as one of two recipients of
the 2015 Gutenberg Research Award by the Gutenberg
Research College of the Johannes Gutenberg University
of Mainz, Germany. Dr. Kwok will receive the award on
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May 4, 2015, during the annual meeting of the Gutenberg Research College in Mainz.
Joan Martin was EDS’s acting academic dean from July
1, 2014 to January 23, 2015.
Larry Wills contributed a chapter titled “Negotiating
the Jewish Heritage of Early Christianity” in the New
Testament volume of the Fortress Commentary on the
Bible (Fortress Press, 2014), and in the Old Testament
volume, “Prayer of Azariah” and “The Song of the Three
Jews.” He contributed a blog for Purim on a Jewish biblical scholar website, TheTorah.com: “Rejoicing on Purim with a Jewish Novel: The Techniques and Motifs of
the Book of Esther” (thetorah.com/rejoicing-on-purimwith-a-jewish-novel). Dr. Wills is the President of the
New England and Eastern Canada region of the Society
of Biblical Literature, and will give the presidential address at their meeting on April 24, 2015, to be held at
Andover Newton Theological Seminary.
Gale Yee was co-editor for the Old Testament and
Apocrypha volume of the Fortress Commentary on the
Bible (Fortress Press, 2014), along with Hugh R. Page, Jr.
and Matthew J. M. Coomber. She also authored “Ruth”
and “1, 2 Kings” in the Fortress Commentary on the Old
Testament, as well as “The Bible and Art” in Anselm Companion to the Old Testament and Anselm Companion to the
Bible (Anselm Academic, 2014). In August 2014, Dr.
Yee presented the Plenary Lecture titled, “A Materialist
Analysis of the Prophets,” at the International Congress
of Ethnic Chinese Biblical Scholars, Chinese University
of Hong Kong, where she was honored as qianbei (respected elder). She will deliver the Graduate Theological
Foundation’s annual Runcie Lecture on May 7 and will
be awarded the Krister Stendahl Medal in Biblical Studies in recognition of her distinguished scholarly contributions in this field of study during graduation on May 8
in Mishawaka, Indiana.
The 2015
Jonathan Daniels
Pilgrimage
August 12–16, 2015
Alabama
The 2015 pilgrimage marks the 50th
anniversary of Jonathan Daniels’s death.
Join us as we honor the life and work
of an EDS alumnus and martyr for civil
rights.
Our time together will be spent visiting
various historic sites, joining with the
Episcopal Diocese of Alabama’s yearly
pilgrimage in Hayneville, Alabama, and
drawing our spirits near the Divine
through worship and reflection.
Learn more at
eds.edu/jdpilgrimage2015.
EP ISCOPAL DIVINI T Y SCHO OL
2015 ALUMNI/AE DAYS &
JONATHAN DANIELS
LECTURE
Featuring Simone Campbell, SSS
eds.edu/alumdays
Thursday, May 7 – Friday, May 8
FAITH AND ACTION
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of
the Death of Jonathan Daniels
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENERAL
CONVENTION THIS YEAR
By the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge
The Episcopal Church’s (TEC) 78th triennial General
Convention, running from June 25 to July 3, 2015, in Salt
Lake City, UT, will take up a number of key issues ranging from church-wide restructuring to marriage equality
to the election of a new presiding bishop to the church’s
relationship to alcohol.
In December 2014, the Task Force
for Reimagining The Episcopal Church
(TREC) released its wide-ranging,
thought-provoking report. Grounded in
the Anglican Consultative Council’s Five
Marks of Mission, the report makes both
broadly adaptive and concrete, technical
proposals. Its most noted proposal is to
shrink the size of the General Convention and to make it uni- rather than bi-cameral. Additionally, the report envisions the presiding bishop as “the
CEO of the church, Chair of the Executive Council, and
President of DFMS, with clear managerial responsibility
for all DFMS staff.” The report invites us to consider how
we can most effectively and creatively use, indeed transform, our structures and assets to embolden the church as
it shifts fully into a post-Christendom era.
Not unrelated to structure is the election of the next
presiding bishop. The role and scope of the position
has shifted a great deal since its earliest days when it
was reserved for the most senior bishop in the church,
who also continued serving on the diocesan as well as
the church-wide level. A nominating committee made
up of representatives from all nine of the provinces of
TEC has been considering candidates, and a final slate
is due to be released in May.
A third major topic for Convention will be marriage equality. With resolution A050, the 77th General Convention created the Task Force on the Study of
Marriage, which released its final Blue Book report in
January. In seven essays it articulates an expansive theEDSNOW
PAGE 42
ology of Christian marriage, discusses marriage’s evolving historical forms, and explores changing trends and
norms regarding family and sexuality. The report also
proposes a revision of the marriage canon with clearer
grounding in pastoral care and practice, as well as access
for couples of all sexual orientations and
gender identities. The report of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
also invites the church into a more expansive theology of marriage. It calls for the
liturgy in I Will Bless You and You Will Be a
Blessing to be made available for differentsex as well as same-sex couples, and also
offers adaptations of the 1979 and 1928
marriage liturgies for same-sex couples.
All resolutions on marriage will come to a Special Joint
Legislative Committee devoted to this topic.
Finally, the Convention will convene a House of Deputies special legislative committee to review the church’s
policy on alcohol and drug abuse originally passed by the
1985 General Convention. This committee was formed in
response to the December 2014 accident in which bicyclist Thomas Palermo was killed by a car driven by Bishop
Heather Cook of the Diocese of Maryland. Cook’s indictment on 13 counts, including vehicular homicide and
driving under the influence of alcohol, has helped prompt
urgent questions about the Episcopal Church’s relationship to alcohol and alcoholism.
Much will unfold at General Convention this June.
May the Spirit blow us where it will, and may we be
prayerfully opened in the journey.
The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge is teaching the General Convention course in EDS’s June Term. He attended
the 76th and 77th General Conventions and served on
the Marriage Task Force during the 2012–2015 triennium. He looks forward to attending General Convention in June.
EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL
I Belong at EDS
General Convention 2015
eds.edu
Join EDS at General Convention 2015
June 25 – July 3, 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah
Visit our booth in Seminary Square—meet our new
Interim President and Dean the Very Rev. Francis Fornaro ’96,
catch up with fellow alumni/ae and friends,
and learn about programs, classes, and worship happening at EDS.
Reception for EDS family and friends is
on the evening of Tuesday, June 30.
Visit eds.edu/gc2015 for more information and to let us know you’ll be there!
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